


The Other Way Around

by agentsimmons



Category: Princess and the Frog (2009)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-18
Updated: 2014-09-18
Packaged: 2018-02-17 08:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2302775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentsimmons/pseuds/agentsimmons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nearly 12 years is a large gap for any relationship, but all the more impossible if the woman is older. At least, that's what she tells herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Other Way Around

Women married older men. Men married younger women. It was a known fact, a general preference, a mostly-accepted norm. _Not_ the other way around.

It didn't matter that Uncle Ralphie was nice to his pseudo niece and nephew, showering them with gifts and attention no matter how frequently they visited Aunt Tia and Uncle Naveen in Maldonia or vice versa. It didn't matter that Uncle Ralphie was mature for his age and closer to 30 than 20, she was closer to 40 than 30 after all. It didn't matter that they were both available. It didn't even matter if they were both interested. It just didn't matter.

And it especially didn't matter that he had grown into quite the hunk of dark rippling biceps and soul piercing green eyes that together made a woman want to...

_No!_ She internally kicked herself as she tore her gaze away from where he played soccer with her kids and discreetly patted away the sweat that had formed on her brow. She would have to keep her roving eyes in check from here on out.

She had to remind herself that he had once been a kid, not even a year younger than her oldest child was now. She'd seen him as a kid and young teen quite a few times before he left for university at 16, followed by joining the military and soon after lobbying, with his sister-in-law, for Maldonia to join the Allies in World War II. Then he went to war regardless of his being, at the time, third in line to the throne.

There had been a good 10 years she didn't see or hear from him outside a few short stints or friendly letters, but sometimes she wondered if it had been good or bad. Had there been so much distance during his transition from boy to man that it made it harder to remember the boy when she did see him again? The last two years had been confusing to say the least.

While he was off growing up, she'd been living her life as a grown woman already. She'd done a lousy job of it at first, she thought, marrying the wrong guy, a rich oil baron who she later figured probably wasn't even faithful to her on their honeymoon. She'd stuck it out for the sake of both what society might say and for security in a tough economic downturn. She could fake a smile and put up with his cheating so long as he didn't lay a hand to her or force her to be anything other than herself.

At first, she'd even carried on partying, a nice way to numb the emptiness she'd felt in her marriage, but then she became pregnant with her daughter. She decided to spend most of her pregnancy with Tia. It had sobered her up and the devil-may-care, unfulfilled Lottie gave way to a happier, more mature Charlotte who was scared to be a mother, but willing to do anything to be good one. 3 years later, she got pregnant again, but her husband, looking for a way out of the marriage with no damage to his own reputation, refused to accept the child as his own and grossly accused her of letting her indiscretions go too far. 

Thankfully, too many of her husband's indiscretions were already common gossip among the society set and whether or not they believed Charlotte hadn't cheated, they had just assumed it would eventually lead to some kind of mess followed by divorce in the long run and she came out relatively unscathed by the tabloids and among her society friends. Still, it had left her with two children to rear and a inclination to not trust her judgment with men any time soon.

The simple fact was, the nearly 12 years difference between them was filled with enough messy life on her part to make them ill-suited for one another even if age wasn't a factor. But it still was a factor, she reasoned. Romances blossoming between girls and uncle-like family friends was heard of. Romances between boys and aunt-like family friends wasn't. She had no right, according to society or anyone else she could think of, to entertain the possibility that it could be okay for there to be anything between them now. 

So she gritted her teeth and tried to keep a level head as he approached her, her kids running off to do something else, and sat down with her at the small terrace table. "They're getting good, yes?" He asked rhetorically, but she nodded with a proud, motherly smile just the same. He poured himself a glass of lemonade and took a long drink. "So," he rolled the glass in his hand and the inevitable subject was sure to be set before her again, she thought. "Did you think of an answer for my question? Remember, it's just one date, you know. No strings attached. If you hate it you don't even have to finish the date, if you don't want to. Military honor." He then looked at her with mischievous green eyes and added, "After all, you've waited this long."

Lottie's eyes widened and her mouth opened. Suddenly, she remembered what it felt like to be the vibrant and confident woman she'd been in her youth. She wasn't overly young anymore and maybe she'd regret it later, but with a flash of renewed devil-may-care zest she laughed, "Oh, what the heck. Why not?"


End file.
